Tommy Linstroth (LEED AP)
Tommy Linstroth’s (LEED AP) career has spanned both the private, academic, and non-profit sectors in the Midwest, West and now East coast, where he is the Principal of Trident Sustainability Group – a triple bottom line consultancy firm. Mr. Linstroth is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Trident’s client sustainability solutions– from minimizing organizations’ carbon footprint to managing sustainable development projects.
To date, Linstroth has personally been involved with over 30 projects achieving LEED certification, with another dozen underway. These projects include the first building in the Southeast to be both LEED certified and in the National Register of Historic places, the first all-retail LEED shopping center in the nation, the first LEED McDonald’s restaurant, and Sustainable Fellwood, one of the largest green affordable housing developments – part of the LEED for Neighborhood Developments pilot program and LEED for Homes program – in the nation. He founded and runs Trident Sustainability Group, advising clients across the country on sustainable development and organizational sustainability. He has helped clients achieve LEED certification on projects ranging from million square foot warehouses to boutique hotels to historic renovations to schools, with a stellar record of client retention. Linstroth helped the Housing Authority of Savannah secure $3.5 million in funding to improve energy efficiency of pubic housing units, and is working with American Standard to benchmark their products’ water efficiency as well as helping the City of Savannah develop a sustainable prototype for city-funded housing.
Linstroth is the past chair of the USGBC – Georgia chapter and is the original founder and past-chairman of the USGBC – Savannah Chapter. He serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Conservation Voters and the Live Oak Public Libraries and on the Chatham Environmental Forum, the Mayor’s Healthy Savannah Initiative and the Creative Coast Advisory Board.
Linstroth is the founder of the RehydrateUS Initiative (www.rehydrateus.org). The Rehydrate US Initiative is a non-partisan and independent organization, established to address the unnecessary waste of water in our built environment and in response to the historic drought affecting the Southeast in 2008, threatening water supply to millions of citizens. The goal of the Rehydrate US Initiative is spelled out on the homepage – reduce water consumption in buildings by 1 BILLION gallons per day by 2015, which can be accomplished by three simple, affordable solutions – replace standard toilets, showerheads, and faucet aerators with high efficiency, available in the market versions. While buildings are only responsible for 20% of water use in the US, we have the ability to rapidly and effectively increase the water efficiency of our buildings overnight – an opportunity not readily available in other sectors.
Linstroth graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He then earned his Masters in Science (MS) degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Charleston, with concentrations on sustainable development, environmental policy, and municipal greenhouse gas emissions.
He is a frequent speaker on green building throughout the country, and he co-authored the book Local Action: The New Paradigm in Climate Change Policy published in November 2007, and is a contributing author for The Green Building Bottom Line, published in November 2008. He is a frequent author for numerous journals and periodicals, and has a column in Sustainable Facilities magazine. He currently resides in Savannah, Georgia.
Sustainable Fellwood – A Case StudyThough the team at Melaver, Inc., owns 10 LEED certified projects representing over 1.5 million square feet of commercial and residential green building experience and has consulted on a dozen more, stepping up to the plate as Master Developer for the redevelopment of Savannah’s first public housing site as a LEED ND project was a lesson in vision-creation and consensus building on an entirely different scale.
From the team that authored The Green Building Bottom Line (McGraw-Hill 2008) comes this proposal: a deep dive into a mixed-use, mixed-income, all green redevelopment of a 27-acre parcel minutes from the center of historic Savannah. Speaker Tommy Linstroth will share his experience of developing what HUD recognizes of one of only two sustainable public-housing projects in the nation.
Sustainable Fellwood (www.sustainablefellwood.com), a mixed-use, all green redevelopment of a 27-acre parcel on the Savannah, Georgia, outskirts, has earned the designation of the state’s first neighborhood to be certified as a green building development by the U.S. Green Building Council as part of its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. The neighborhood development was presented with LEED Silver distinction in June 2009. Additionally, every unit in Sustainable Fellwood will achieve LEED for Homes certification. The 110 multifamily units in Phase 1 obtained LEED Gold certification in November 2009. Achieving LEED certification means that a third party has examined the development, and verified that the owners are adhering to a strict standard established for environmentally friendly buildings.
The $50 million mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood redevelopment broke ground in September 2008, and celebrated the completion of its Phase I development in May 2009, which includes 110 affordable housing units and approximately five single family homes. Forty percent of Sustainable Fellwood’s units have been set aside for low-income residents who qualify for public housing, with another 40 percent reserved for families who make up to $34,560 (60 percent of the average median income in this area). The remaining 20 percent of the residents will pay market rate.
Sustainable Fellwood is the site of Savannah’s first public housing project, and is a principal component of the historic city’s Westside Development Revitalization Plan. The development, nestled beneath a canopy of 100-year-old live oaks and with a four-acre park at its center, is a national showcase for environmentally responsible, affordable, mixed-use, mixed income housing, with engineered “in-community” livability and access to public transportation. The community-created project with the Housing Authority of Savannah features multifamily buildings, single-family homes, a senior housing facility, retail, and commercial/office space.
Sustainable Fellwood’s onsite amenities include a clubhouse, an organic community garden, and significant common green space, as well as a design that maximizes green surfaces and technologies to reduce stormwater runoff. Water usage is minimized through native and xeriscape landscaping outside and low-flow fixtures inside. And, energy costs are reduced significantly with a design that maximizes natural day lighting via thermally efficient windows, a tight building envelope, and Energy Star lighting and appliances throughout. Overall, apartments in Sustainable Fellwood use 30% less energy than standard apartments.
Sustainable Fellwood presents an excellent case study to demonstrate that green can be done across all product types, and proves building sustainably doesn’t have to cost more. Additionally, past utility bills will be used to demonstrate real-life energy and water efficiency and cost savings to residents.
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